The 2024 USA basketball team is one of the greatest teams to have ever assembled. Featuring players like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant, this may just be the Dream Team 2.0. However, the majority of these players never look to participate in international tournaments. The reason is, the chances of injuries and they often use their offseason training. Now this doesn’t include the Olympics, as even in the past, big-time players have at least shown interest in representing their country on the big stage rather than in the FIBA World Cup. Players seem to focus more on winning an NBA title. And Kawhi Leonard, who is on the same page, might be risking his chances of injury.

Leonard hasn’t played at his 100% ever since their postseason run in the bubble. Back then, we saw Paul George and Kawhi Leonard play at their highest level, but couldn’t make it past the second round. One can say that Leonard is an injury-prone player having missed 146 regular season games since the 2019-20 season. In the recent episode of “The OG’s Show“, Stephen A. pointed out that Steve Balmer might be risking sending his player to play in the Olympics.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been more pissed off at a dude wearing a Team USA uniform. Remember how excited he (Leonard) was when they came to him and Grant Hill put him on Team USA? Do you know how many games you’ve missed to be talking about playing in the summer? You might get hurt from the flight to Paris. I’m not letting you play. If I’m Steve Balmer, I will use every means at my disposal to make sure this man ain’t on Team USA. For one reason and one reason only, I don’t trust that you’re going to leave healthy.”, said Stephen A.

Well, to his credit, Leonard showed up in the recent season, playing 68 games and 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.6 steals on 52.5% shooting from the field. Also, this is the most amount of games he ever played in the season since 2016. But this does go on to tell that he is an injury-prone player even though he brings a lot of impact.

The Klaw has gone through unfortunate injuries in the middle of his postseason runs. For instance, during the 2021 playoffs, Leonard played 11 games averaging 30 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. But as he went down with an injury, it led to the Clippers losing in the West Finals. That particular postseason may have resulted in a title had Leonard not gone down. With PG leaving the Clippers, Kawhi becomes the only centerpiece of the squad. And as Stephen A. tried to explain, the chances of an injury in the case of Kawhi are to be concerned about.

The Clippers should know better about Kawhi Leonard

PG and the Clippers gave their all after Leonard went down in the first round. For once it seemed as if the Clippers may close the series in six. But just after two games, Kawhi went down with a knee injury. He just recovered from the same and is set to play in the Olympics. But are the Clippers not worried about him? As per Leonard, “Not really”. However, they should at least be concerned. They just lost their star shooting guard and if Leonard, under any circumstances, suffers another serious injury, the franchise will be back on square one.

The Clippers are yet to make a dominant playoff run which explains their star power. Of course, Leonard has quite a few seasons left in him. But if the injuries don’t take a break from the constant suffering, Kawhi’s talents might just fade. We’ve seen Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, and some other players go through this. While they maintained their presence on the court, they were never the same. And if the same was to happen to the two-time champ, it’d be worse for the franchise and his career. We can only hope that Leonard takes it easy on this Olympic tour prioritizing his health. With Durant’s uncertain return, the Klaw might fill his spot.

It will be interesting to see Kawhi make his first Olympic appearance alongside other greats. Beyond the court, his decision stirs a larger conversation: What weighs more for an athlete—national pride or the imperative to maintain personal health? Do you think Leonard’s participation is worth the risk, or should he prioritize his recovery during the off-season? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the debate.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what brand maker, Leonard Armato, had to say about the deadly duo, Shaq and Kobe, check out this exclusive video by EssentiallySports.